Splints or braces are typically used to hold portions of a limb, such as wrist or elbow joints, in a desired position to promote healing of bone or other tissue and/or prevent further injury. In the instance of traumatic injuries, splints are often used by emergency medical technicians and paramedics to immobilize an injured area to prevent further damage during transportation. The injured area must be quickly immobilized and moreover, movement of the injured area must be prevented to avoid further damage.
Both physical therapy and surgical alternatives frequently include the use of some form of orthopedic splint. Such orthopedic splints are available as adjustable “off-the-shelf” devices or hand crafted custom orthotics molded to fit the individual patient or specific application.
The degree of flexion or extension of a joint, or angle which is needed to be maintained, may vary from patient to patient depending on the location and type of injury or on the progress of the patient's therapy. However, the angle at which most splints hold the joint has generally not been easily adjustable. While some mechanisms exist for adjusting the position of a splint, they often require installing and manipulating hardware such as machine screws or bolts and wing nuts at medial and lateral sides of the splint. Using such complex mechanisms can waste valuable time in the event where a traumatic injury must be immediately immobilized. Thus, there remains a need for improvement of such a splint to provide an easier mechanism for selecting and securing the angle of flexion of the splint.